atmospherics

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

n. Electromagnetic radiation produced by natural phenomena such as lightning.

n. Radio interference produced by electromagnetic radiation. Also called sferics.

n. Features, events, or statements intended to create a particular mood or attitude: "[This book] is full of fiction unconcerned with spooky atmospherics or suspense; most of the collection's stories are about cruel humans and the violence they commit” ( Ken Tucker).

n. The mood or attitude so created.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

n. radio interference caused by pulses of electromagnetic radiation in the atmosphere as the result of lightning and other events (both natural and man-made)

Examples

Those changes included the restructuring of how contractors gather what is known as "atmospherics," like the tone of Friday sermons at a mosque, or the mood on the street of a village toward a local official or NATO.

The contractors were supposed to provide only broad information about the political and tribal dynamics in the region - called "atmospherics" - and "force protection" information that might protect American troops from attack, the officials said.

Yet, although he does not have charts or graphs to prove it, Resnick, 27, insists that he also sees what the military calls changed "atmospherics": busy stores and streets, tea served to U.S. soldiers.